Non-regular Workers Earned Half of What Permanent Employees Made

The number of non-regular workers and the wage gap between them and permanent employees have both hit record highs. According to the 'Supplementary Survey of the Economically Active Population by Employment Type' released by the National Data Agency on the 21st, non-regular workers stood at 8.671 million as of August, an all-time high, while the gap in average monthly wages with permanent employees widened to 1.94 million won, the largest since the statistics were first compiled. Non-regular workers accounted for 38.5% of all wage earners, a record high. The number of permanent employees rose only 10,000 from a year earlier to 13.855 million, meaning non-regular workers took up most of the total increase in wage earners (113,000). Non-regular employment grew by 103,000, more than ten times the growth in permanent jobs and the largest increase since the statistics were first compiled in 2003.

Older adults aged 60 and above were the main driver of the rise in non-regular employment. Employment among young people (ages 15-29) has declined for 47 consecutive months, while growth in workers aged 60 and older has propped up overall employment — but a substantial share of these older workers fall into the non-regular category. By age group, those 60 and older had the highest share of non-regular employment at 36.7%, up 1.2 percentage points from last year.

The average monthly wage of permanent employees over the recent three months (June-August) rose 156,000 won (4.0%) from a year earlier to 4.052 million won. Non-regular workers earned 2.112 million won, up only 24,000 won (1.1%) year-on-year, bringing their pay ratio to 52.1% of permanent employees' wages, down 1.5 percentage points from a year earlier. An official at the National Data Agency explained, "Non-regular jobs account for a high share of employment among older workers. The increase in workers aged 60 and older has led to growth in non-regular employment, contributing to the widening wage gap."

The widening wage gap in the labor market has been mirrored by a growing income divide between households. An analysis of household income and expenditure by income quintile from the National Data Agency's household trends survey showed that households in the bottom 20% (first quintile) posted an average monthly deficit of 309,000 won over the year from the third quarter of 2025 through the second quarter of this year, a larger deficit than the previous year's (305,000 won). The deeper deficit was driven by consumption growth outpacing income growth. The bottom quintile's average monthly disposable income rose 41,000 won (4.8%) from a year earlier to 894,000 won, but consumer spending increased 45,000 won (3.9%) to 1.203 million won, failing to narrow the gap.

In contrast, the top 20% (fifth quintile) saw disposable income rise 114,000 won (1.5%) to an average monthly 7.772 million won, while consumer spending grew only 60,000 won (1.4%). As a result, the fifth quintile's average monthly surplus rose 53,000 won (1.6%) from the previous year (3.305 million won) to 3.358 million won. Over the past year, groceries and housing, water, and utility costs accounted for 39.9% of consumer spending among first-quintile households — roughly 1.9 times the share for fifth-quintile households (20.9%).